Born in Astore area of Gilgit on August 24, 1934, Khan went to Kashmir in pursuit of educational opportunities in 1940. In 1963, he co-founded the Kashmir Independent Committee and two years later, was elected as the scretary-general of the JK Plebiscite Front (PF). Later he co-founded the JK National Liberation Front (JKNLF) with Maqbool Bhat. In May 1977, he formed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front by renaming the England branches of JKNLF.

Khan is survived by his daughter Asma who is married to jammu and Kashmir leader Sajjad Ghani Lone.

Khan has written two books, Free Kashmir (English) and My Autobiography (in Urdu), and about 3 dozen booklets and India's freedom movement. He had visited over 20 countries to lobby for his cause, including in the UN General Assembly.